Overview
- Right‑wing councillors in the Conseil de Paris voted down an investment grant of nearly €500,000 for 40 independent bookshops because the beneficiary list included Violette and Co, a decision welcomed publicly by councillor Aurélien Véron.
- City officials say the package, meant for accessibility upgrades and energy‑efficiency work, will be re‑submitted for a public vote at the next Council session in mid‑December.
- Several Paris bookstores report ongoing vandalism and harassment, including acid‑etched insults at Violette and Co and Tête ailleurs, and tags targeting La Petite Égypte after it invited UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
- Paris Librairies argues the vote legitimizes intimidation and undermines booksellers’ freedom to stock any lawful titles, noting that inventory choices were not a criterion for the funding.
- Booksellers are mobilizing public responses with a rally in Paris on Thursday, while some are also advancing the “Désarmer Bolloré” campaign to counter Hachette’s growing dominance following Bolloré’s 2023 takeover.